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Library Skills for Students of English Composition

This is a basic library guide for students on how to find books, journal articles and other resources in Buley library for assignments and research papers.

Primary Sources

What is a primary source?

A primary source is an original document or object, something that was created or written during the time that is being researched. It is first-hand information from someone who was present at the scene of action or witnessed an event when it occurred. It gives us an up, close and personal view of a particular event or time.

Examples of primary sources:

Advertisements

Artifacts and Relics such as pottery, furniture, clothing, coins, implements, etc.

Audio/Video Recordings

Autobiographies

Census and Demographic Records

Creative works such as poetry, drama, fiction, music, art

Diaries

Dissertations

Experiments, clinical trials

Government Documents

Historical documents such as charters, constitutions, etc.

Interviews

Journal articles reporting original research, empirical data, statistics, etc.

Legal documents (laws and legislative hearings)

Letters and correspondences

Manuscripts

Maps and Atlases (Those created at the time of the event such as battelfield maps created during a war are primary sources but those created later are secondary sources)

Memoirs

News footage

Official Records

Pamphlets

Papers delivered at conferences

Personal narratives

Photographs

Posters

Speeches

Secondary Sources

What is a Secondary Source?

A secondary source interprets and analyzes a primary source. These sources are one or two steps removed from the event or occurrence. They may include comments, discussions, reviews and explanations; they are considered second-hand sources because they are based on the primary source. A secondary source may contain quotes, graphics or pictures of primary sources in them.

Examples of Secondary Sources:

Bibliographies

Biographies

Books that discuss or analyze a topic

Commentaries

Criticisms

Encyclopedias

Indexes and Abstracts

Journal or magazine articles that interpret or discuss previous research findings

Newspaper articles that interpret a topic or event (Articles that report first-hand about a topic are considered primary sources).

Reviews of art, books, movies, plays, etc.

Textbooks